A Succubus' Tales: The One About Freedom
by Weirdo-Girly
Summary: Sequel to "The One About Love"; Lauren has to return to The Ash in order to save Nadia's life. Angry and desperate, Bo's looking for a way to free her, and catches The Morrigan's attention in the process.
1. Arrest

"Honey, I'm home!" Bo called out teasingly when she came in at the door, Kenzi strolling behind her. "Is dinner ready?"

A smile flashed over her face by the time she found Lauren lounching on the couch, apparently watching a documentary about penguins. While the blonde tried hard to straighten herself, Bo went over to her and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "Hey, babe."

"Hi," Lauren replied, smiling. "Are you alright?"

Bo and Kenzi had been asked for help on tracing a missing fiancee, who had quickly turned out to have run away with someone else. So they had taken the poor soul along to Trick's bar to buy him a drink. Afterwards, he had thanked them most sincerely and had left, the two women wishing him well.

"No," Kenzi grumbled and took a beer out of the fridge. "Bo wouldn't let him pay us."

"His heart was broken, Kenz," the succubus pointed out for the umpteenth time. "Since when are you that insensitive?"

Kenzi gave a groan of annoyance. "Of course I feel sorry for him, but everyone gets their heart broken at some point or another. Further, we need to eat." She looked at Lauren. "What do you think, hottie? Who's right? And don't you be swayed by the fact that you'll crawl under the sheets with Bo-Bo tonight."

It had been a week since Bo and Lauren had stroken up a relationship with each other, and things were going more than just well between them. Bo could still live in comfort from the chi Lauren was able to spare. They had come to know one another for real; where they had grown up, what had happened to them before they had met, favourite color and food, pets. And also the ceiling was unimpaired so far.

Simply astonishing, however, was that Lauren and Kenzi had become friends. Bo's best friend had stopped to nag at Lauren and had started to respect her. By now, they were even joking around with each other a little.

"Kenzi, be honest," Lauren said seriously. "It's _that_ time of the month for you, right?"

"Bite me," the girl growled at her. "No,wait. Save it for Bo."

Lauren and Bo both started to laugh. They stopped when they heard a loud knock at the door, though, all three of them being put on the alert. "We're not expecting anybody, are we?"

Bo shook her head, putting on a serious face. "No. We're not, Kenz." The knock grew louder and more persistent. "Lauren, make away."

The doctor didn't answer but ran upstairs. After Bo had made sure that the doctor was off, she went to open the door and saw _him _standing there with two of his henchmen in tow. "Lachlan."

"Bo," he acknowledged her before pushing past her. "I'm here to regain what is mine."

When Bo saw The Ash standing there in the middle of their living room, so overbearingly arrogant, she felt sick. Yet she tried to stay calm. "I don't know what you are talking about, but _please_ be assured that nothing in this house belongs to you. Now go. You have no right to be here, anyway. This is neutral territory."

The succubus wanted to wipe the smirk off his face so desperately. "Listen, I know that Dr. Lewis is here. You really better hand her over to me if you don't want to start an... Well, let's say 'argument'." He pointed at his stooges.

"Lauren, you mean." Bo shrugged her shoulders. "Haven't seen her in ages."

Without a word, Lachlan snapped his fingers, causing the two men in the background to ripple their muscles. Bo already braced herself up for a fight when she heard her girldfriend's clear voice, "Don't hurt her! I'm here."

"Dr. Lewis," The Ash murmured, spotting Lauren at the bottom of the stairs. "How nice to see you again."

"Lauren, no..." Bo's mind was racing. She was aware of being able to take down Lachlan's henchmen, but probably not Lachlan himself. None of them knew what kind of Fae he actually was; they only knew that Bo's powers didn't work on him. She would try anyway if he laid hands on Lauren.

"Listen, I've grown tired of waiting for you to get your senses back, doctor," Lachlan snarled. "So let me make this clear to you. If you do not return to the lab within the next twenty-four hours, I'll pull the plug. Do you know what I mean?"

Lauren swallowed hard. Nadia. He would kill her. "Yes, I will return tomorrow morning."

"No, you won't," Bo snapped without thinking.

"I will," Lauren repeated, looking at the succubus this time. "I will."

When The Ash left, Bo felt like breaking down.

* * *

><p>"Bo, I don't have a choice!"<p>

Lauren was sitting on Bo's bed with her head in her hands while Bo herself was pacing up and down the room. They had talked about their messed up situation for the last three hours, making countless plans they knew would never work out like to break into the facility and spring Nadia.

By now, Lauren had resigned. Bo, however, was still going round in circles and absolutely refusing to see that there was nothing they could've done. "There must be some way!"

"We both knew that this moment would come," the blonde sighed heavily. "I told you about Nadia. I told yo-"

"Yes, you did," the succubus whispered, finally shedding bitter tears. "But I don't think I can bear watching you go."

Lauren stood up from the bed and pulled Bo into a tight embrace, planting kisses on her girlfriend's neck. She could hear Bo sniffling, and it broke her heart. "It will be fine, Bo. I'm sure. We'll find a cure for Nadia, we'll wake her up and then we'll be together again. And then we'll go out, we'll have dinner, we'll watch movies." She chuckled softly. "We will do all that corny stuff people in love do. Alright?"

"Alright," Bo breathed, a sad smile on her face.

"Good." Lauren started fumbling with the hem of Bo's shirt. "Now let me make love to you."

The rest of the night was spent with sensual, passionate and tender kissing and touching, with whispered words of love and devotion, with promises of a bright and happy future.

* * *

><p>Shortly before dawn, Lauren made her way into the living room where she met Kenzi. "Why are you up so early?"<p>

"I wanted to say goodbye to you," Kenzi answered before she engulfed the doctor in a hug. "Bo won't rest until-"

"I know," Lauren cut in. "Promise me that you'll take good care of her, okay?"

Kenzi nodded. "You really don't wanna wake her up?"

"No, it's easier this way for the both of us. Maybe she'll be so angry with me that she won't miss me."

"You don't really think that, do you?"

"No." Lauren sighed. "I have to go now. Bye, Kenz."

"Bye, doc." Considering that she'd been constantly annoyed by Lauren only a week ago, Kenzi was indeed surprised about the sadness she felt while watching Lauren walk out the door, wondering if they would ever see each other again.

* * *

><p>"Lauren? Lauren?"<p>

When Bo entered the living room, already fearing the worst, she saw a teary Kenzi sitting at the kitchen counter. "Kenz, have... have you seen Lauren?"

"She's gone, Bo. She's gone."


	2. Usable

"Holy crap, Bo!" Kenzi shouted out, deeply shocked and concerned. "What happened to you?"

The girl jumped up from the couch and ran sqare to Bo, who had just come in at the door, little short of crawling and covered in blood. But before Kenzi could reach her best friend, Bo's legs gave away and she fell to the floor. Kenzi quickly crouched next to the succubus, trying to help her getting into a sitting position at least. When Bo let her back rest against the wall, Kenzi was able to see the seriousness of her injuries.

Her face was battered and bruised, blood poured from her nose. Her clothes were torn and bloody as well.

It had been nearly three weeks since Lauren had left. And during that short period of time, Bo had come home totally beaten up four times already after trying to gather information about Nadia's disease. However, she had never been as badly injured as she was now.

"Dyson! I'll call Dyson!"

Just as Kenzi was about to dial the wolf's number, Bo mobolized her last strength and slapped the phone out of her best friend's hand. "Don't you dare," she rasped weakly. "I'm fine."

"Are you kidding!" Even if Kenzi felt like yelling at the succubus, she tried to act calm. "Bo, I know that you don't want to feed off of any person other than Lauren. But you really need to heal. Otherwise, you won't be able to help her."

"Kenzi, please," Bo begged, tears in her eyes. "All I need are a few bandages and some sleep. Most of the blood isn't even mine. I swear."

Sighing in defeat, Kenzi put Bo's left arm around her shoulders and heaved her to her feet with difficulty. They slowly managed to stumble up the stairs and into Bo's bedroom where Kenzi set her down onto the bed carefully. Afterwards, she went for a wet towel and gauze to clean and dress the succubus' wounds. She started to wipe her face, but stopped when tears began to stream down her cheeks. "Bo?"

"It hurts," Bo replied softly, and Kenzi knew that she wasn't only talking about her injuries.

Bo had neither seen nor talked to Lauren for the last two and a half weeks, because she wasn't allowed to visit the doctor at the lab and because her phone number was blocked. Kenzi was sure that Bo hadn't slept soundly ever since. But what truly fazed her was that Bo refused to both eat and feed, only consuming a piece of bread or something like that at times. She was growing weaker day by day.

"Things will turn out well, sweetheart," the girl assured her best friend, resuming her work. "Lauren will be back soon."

After she had cleansed and bandaged Bo's wounds, Kenzi liad her down onto the bed and tucked her under the blankets, waiting for her to fall asleep while gently stroking her hair.

"Thank you, Kenz" Bo whispered, right before she became overwhelmed with exhaustion and fell asleep.

When Kenzi watched Bo cuddling the pillow, she noticed that Bo hadn't changed the sheets since Lauren's sudden departure. She assumed that Bo could probably still smell Lauren on them or maybe even feel a hint of her chi. She was really suffering.

* * *

><p>"So Bo's causing all this trouble," The Morrigan pondered, "only because she wants to free the human doctor of Lachlan."<p>

Her assistant nodded. "Yes, ma'am. She's said to have almost gotten herself killed yesterday when trying to question a sorceress. The sorceress was fed up with Bo and invoked a deceased warrior from 1373."

An evil smile played at the corner of The Morrigan's crimson lips. "Unconditional love. So wonderful, pure and brutally honest. And so _usable_." She turned to her waiting assistant. "Bring her to me."

* * *

><p>Bo was sore all over when she walked into Lachlan's office, and not in a good way this time.<p>

Kenzi had told her to stay in bed today to recover, but the succubus had had completely other ideas. So after making sure she wouldn't collapse or throw up, Bo had taken a quick shower and had put some fresh bandages and clothes on. Kenzi had compelled her to grab a bite to eat at least and Bo had obeyed before leaving the house, setting out for The Ash's facility.

"Bo," Lachlan greeted her slyly, faked concern written all over his face. "What happened to you? Are you alright?"

The succubus wasn't in the mood for playing The Ash's games. "I'm not here to chat with you. I want to see Lauren."

"Well," he replied, "I would let you, but unfortunately, she has a lot of work to do."

Bo closed her eyes, trying to dam up her tears. She was so very tired of all this, only wanting to talk to Lauren, to kiss her, to feel her, to fall asleep with the beautiful doctor right next to her. "Lachlan, _please_. Let me see her. I didn't bother you for two weeks."

"I told you that she's busy," Lachlan answered while he pressed a small button that was installed on his desk, and suddenly the mosaicked window right behind him came to life, showing Lauren in her lab. She was working at her computer. "But you can _see_ her that way."

Bo felt like her heart was being torn, finally being able to look at the one she loved, but not being able to touch her. She noticed Lauren's bloodshot eyes, her pale skin. And she had lost weight. Yet she was still the most gorgeous woman Bo had ever seen. The most important thing to her was that Lauren seemed to be unharmed. "Lauren..."

The Ash pressed another button on his desk. "Dr. Lewis."

His voice resounded in the lab, drawing Lauren's attention to the camera. "Yes, Ash?"

Such an angelic voice. Now Bo could directly look into the eyes of her girlfriend. They were blank, missing their usual fire. To know that Lauren was hurting the same way she did, didn't ease the pain inside of Bo at all.

"I'm hosting a close friend of yours at the moment," Lachlan told Lauren. "She wants to see you, but I told her that you're occupied. Is that right?"

Bo watched the realization enter Lauren's eyes which were slowly coming back to life again. "Bo?"

"Lauren!" The succubus was about to dash forward to Lachlan's desk when she felt strong arms wrap around her upper arms. Lachlan's guards. Even though Bo's heart was screaming at her to fight, she kept still. "Please, let me talk to her. Just a few minutes."

Lachlan shook his head. "Dr. Lewis, tell Bo you're busy."

"Bo, I'm sorry," Lauren said, the light in her eyes fading away again. "I have... I have no time to spare. But Bo, I'm fine. Please, stop putting yourself in danger. I heard about your conflicts."

"Go back to work, doctor," Lachlan ordered before he let go of the button.

"Bo, I love y-"

The Ash looked at his guards. "Show her to the door."

"This is far from over, Lachlan! I'll free her, you hear me! I will!"

* * *

><p>It was late evening when Bo went for a walk, trying to clear her mind.<p>

She had been obsessed with the thought of Lauren being trapped in that damn lab. And that was the issue. Those random fights, her refusal to eat and feed, always thinking of her need to see, touch, kiss and feel Lauren. She had constantly focused on the problem itself instead of its solution. She had to be rational, for Lauren and for herself.

Bo was so lost in thought that she only registered the car driving directly beside her on the street when the rear window was cranked down. "Excuse me."

Confused and alarmed, the succubus stopped. "What is it?"

"Please, get into the car," a good-looking, young woman requested her to. "You'll be rewarded."

"What the fuck?" Bo shouted at the woman. "I'm not a hooker!"

The woman's eyes went wide."No, listen, The Morrigan sends me. She wants to hire you."

Bo shook her head. "Not interested. I don't have time for things like that. I need to-"

"Save Dr. Lewis," the woman finished her sentence. "Well, as a reward for your help, The Morrigan would give you a means to free her. Still not interested?"


	3. Nail

Hello, here's a little Christmas gift for you, guys. Maybe your gift could be a short review; I love them and I'm really grateful to reviewers:)

Anyway, enjoy;)

* * *

><p>"So the only thing I have to do is to find that artist Jason," Bo recapitulated, highly sceptical. "And you'll help me liberating Lauren?"<p>

The Morrigan, sitting behind her desk with a faint smile on her face, nodded. "Exactly."

Bo was more than just a little wary about making a deal with the head of the Dark Fae. It seemed like an amazing offer to her, facile and not time-consuming, but there simply had to be a hitch somewhere. It didn't matter to Bo that Jason was probably a dangerous psychopath who would try to kill her, since she was clearly willing to die for Lauren.

What bothered her was that The Morrigan possibly needed the artist to spark a war or something like that.

"You see, Bo," The Morrigan drawled, "Jason has been painting murals of the Dark Fae, specifically me, Vex and... um, a vampire he killed some time ago, all over the town. And I disapprove of it."

The succubus frowned. "If I returned him to you, you wouldn't kill him, would you?"

"No," the other woman denied, leaning forward in her chair. "Bo, you have to open your eyes and understand that the Dark Fae isn't as evil as you think. I want you to give it a serious consideration which side has caused you more pain so far. The Dark Fae or the Light Fae? I'm not the one who is keeping Dr. Lewis imprisoned, but the one who wants to help her. Besides, I kinda like Jason."

Bo realized that The Morrigan was actually right; the Light Fae was making her life miserable, not the Dark Fae. "Fine. I'll find him and I'll bring him back to you."

"And then I'll give you something to go on."

* * *

><p>Lauren was exhausted. Three weeks full of fear, depression, loneliness and worry had worn her out, both physically and mentally. She didn't know how much longer she would be able to put up with everything. She ached for freedom. For freedom and Bo.<p>

She would have done everything to be with the beautiful succubus right now. But Lachlan took pleasure in keeping them apart, only telling Lauren in which danger Bo had placed herself lately. She was little short of expecting news of her girlfriend's violent death. She didn't want for Bo to put her life on the line because of Nadia and herself. Images of Bo being killed kept her awake at night.

"Hey, doc," a familiar voice greeted Lauren who gave a start all the same. Looking up from the microscope and behind her, she saw Dyson, wheeling a body bag inside the lab. He positioned it in a corner. "The Ash wants you to perform an autopsy on this one."

Sighing heavily, Lauren stood up from her chair and walked over to him. "Thanks."

When Dyson handed the clipboard to the doctor, he noticed the dark circles around her dull eyes. He knew that she wasn't working for The Ash by choice, although he had no idea with what Lachlan was extorting her. Bo had only told him that much by the time he had asked her why she was constantly messing with old and powerful Fae.

Since The Norn had taken his passion for her, Dyson had finally accepted that Bo had always been in love with Lauren. Even at the time when she had been together with him. He had decided not to stand in their way any longer. By now, he wished for them to come together and to be happy like he was with Kiara.

"You look tired," he stated.

"I am." She tried to sound casual. "How's Bo?"

Lauren realized that her fear of Bo falling for him again while she was gone was reasonless. Yet it was one of the many things that bothered her.

Dyson merely shrugged his shoulders before a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Winking at her, the shapeshifter left the lab, and Lauren wondered what that had been about. But instead of racking her brains, she went over to the body bag. The autopsy would distract her for a while, maybe even allowing for her mind to rest a little.

She zipped the bag open and her heart skipped a beat, right before it started racing beyond control. Tears stang in her eyes, her stomach turned. It just couldn't be true. She must have become insane. She was obviously hallucinating.

No, Bo was definitely not lying in that bag, all beaten up. "Good heavens, say it ain't so!"

"This bag smells like feet!" Bo declared, casting up her eyes.

Lauren was scared witless for a second. Time seemed to stop in their moment of disbelief, however, when the women's eyes met. "Bo, is that really you?"

"Yes," Bo whispered shakily, a huge smile spreading across her scratched face. She stood up slowly. "Lauren, I can't even begin to tell you how good it is to see you. I missed you so badly."

Still stunned, Lauren touched her girlfriend's face with her fingertips and fell into her usual doctor mode. "What happened? Are you in pain? Why didn't you heal? I told you t-"

"Lauren," Bo interrupted her, really drawing the doctor's attention. "_Hi_."

Bo's whole body was hurting when Lauren suddenly wrapped her arms around her, but she didn't care, hugging her back as tightly as possible. The feeling of Lauren's curves, snuggling into her own, the smell of Lauren's scent, fogging in her tortured mind. Lauren crushed their lips together in a bruising kiss. And Bo let out a throaty moan that was trapped between their mouths while she grabbed a handful of her lover's golden hair. The doctor's hands moved to cover the succubus' breasts, her tongue hot and demanding.

Bo had already known that Lauren could be surprisingly passionate, especially in bed, yet she was actually staggered by her current fire. The succubus didn't mind, though. It was like balm to her wounds, maybe not to the corporal but the emotional ones.

Lauren stopped once she noted the metallic taste of blood. Bo's lip had split open again. "Shit, I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Bo rested her forehead against her girlfriend's, both women closing their watery eyes. "Lauren..."

Their peaceful moment came to an end, however, when Lauren started up. "Bo, you have to go! If The Ash found out that you're here... The camera!"

"Lauren, babe," the succubus interrupted her reassuringly, gently taking Lauren's anxiously face into her hands. "relax. Lachlan will never get to know. The camera can't see us."

Bo always wondered about the bravery Lauren showed in the open, and that suddenly vanished inside of the lab. What had happend to her within these walls in the last five years?

Lauren looked up at the damn monitoring camera, noticing that Dyson had wheeled the body bag right into the blind angle of it. Dyson. His wink. The shifter seemingly had assisted Bo with stealing into The Ash's compound!

It was relieving for Lauren to know that Dyson was obviously no longer her competitor.

"You're still in extreme danger." Lauren reached for a gauze pad that was lying on a table nearby and carefully wiped the blood from Bo's lip. "You should have stayed away."

"But I couldn't bear to be apart of you any longer." Bo stopped the doctor's doing by wrapping her arms around her waist and pulling her close. "Aren't you happy to see me at all?"

Lauren had to suppress the urge to feverishly kiss her lover once more. "How can you even ask me that, Bo? The past three weeks have been hell for me, not being able to talk to you, to kiss and touch you, to simply look into your beautiful eyes. I missed you so much, it hurt."

"I love you," Bo whispered into Lauren's ear, at a loss for any other words.

"I love you, too."

Only after a few moments of silence, Bo found her tongue. "You'll be clean out of The Ash soon. The Morrigan made me an offer tha-"

"The Morrigan?" Frowning, the doctor held her at arm's length. "Bo, no. Don't get involved with that woman, please. She's dangerous, unpredictable... She will try to make you join the Dark Fae. She's evil."

"And The Ash is good?" Bo snorted angrily. "You know what, the Light Fae has brought more trouble upon me than the Dark. The Light is all about pretending to be fine while in reality it's devious, insincere and cruel. Just look at what Lachlan is doing to you, how he's treating you!"

"He treats me like humans are usually treated in the world of Fae," Lauren stated matter-of-factly. "You don't really think that The Morrigan would treat me any better, do you?"

"No, but..." Sighing heavily, the succubus massaged her temples before she wrapped her hands around Lauren's upper arms. "Listen, I did not come here to argue with you, Lauren. I came here, because I couldn't help it anymore. I'll free you. And The Morrigan will help me doing so."

Lauren saw the determination in Bo's eyes, realizing that she wouldn't succeed in reasoning her out of cooperating with the head of the Dark Fae. On the one hand, the doctor's heart was bursting with love and bliss, knowing that Bo was willing to do everything for her. But on the other hand, her heart was aching in fear of Bo's life. "I don't want you to... to die because of me. I couldn't... I don't know what I would do, Bo."

"Lauren," Bo spoke in her lover's ear before kissing her tear-filled eyes, "I promise you that nothing will happen to me. Don't worry. And once you're free, I will never again make common cause with The Morrigan."

"I love you." Lauren let her forehead rest against Bo's, smiling. "Don't make me regret that, please."

"Not ever," the succubus chuckled. "You know what else we're gonna do when you're free? Make love. We're gonna make so much passionate, sexy, sweet and gentle love, babe. And I won't give a fuck about the ceiling."

* * *

><p>"Thank you, Bo." A contented smile played on The Morrigan's lips. "It's really good to know that Jason is now back where he belongs. And like I said, no one will cause him suffering. I'll only talk to him."<p>

"I'm pleased to hear that," Bo answered, watching the other woman leaning forward in her office chair. "Go easy on him. I had to feed off of him to get him here. So now what about my reward anyway?"

Even though the succubus didn't want to feed off of anybody whose name wasn't Lauren Lewis, she had realized that she had no other choice. It wasn't about cheat, it was about survival. Bo was really lucky that Lauren understood her and her nature; another matter in which Dyson and Lauren differed. He had never meant to be mean to her when they had been together. He had not accepted her true self, though. Lauren did, and that was one of the reasons why Bo would contain her nature and not cheat on her.

The Morrigan took a little box out of one of the desk drawers. "Tell me, Bo, was it that bad to work for me? Nobody was harmed and you obtain help to release Lauren from that jerk Lachlan."

Bo took the box from The Morrigan's delicate hand. "Well, it wasn't. Thank you for... whatever's in there."

When she opened the box, Bo wasn't any wiser than before. "A nail?"

"Well, if you want to know a bit more about it, I'd have another assignment for you?"


	4. Dark

"Sweety, I really hate to say it, but that Morri-cow probably just tricked you," Kenzi sighed heavily, sitting in the passenger seat of Bo's car. "I mean, she's the head of the Dark Fae after all. Why should she care about Lauren or your heartbreak?"

Bo didn't show any reaction, continuing to floor the gas pedal and heading for The Dal Riata.

For now, Bo had declined The Morrigan's offer to obtain more information about the nail by getting another job done for her since Trick could perhaps tell her something relevant to it as well, without demanding any return service of the succubus. If he wasn't informed of the nail, though, she would go back to The Morrigan in the blink of an eye.

When they walked into The Dal, it was like a morgue. Only Trick was standing behind the counter, dusting the inside of a glas. "Hey, guys," he greeted them. "Want to start drinking so early today?"

His smile quickly vanished as he saw the look in Bo's eyes. "What is it now?"

The two women went over to the bar, Kenzi taking a seat while her best friend chose to stand. "Trickster, you better bring out the heavy stuff. _You _are gonna need it once Bo-Bo tells you about her dirty deals with The Morrigan."

"The Morrigan?" The bartender didn't believe his ears. "Like Evony Fleurette Marquise? That Morrigan? Bo, have you got any idea how dangerous that woman is? She's one of the most vicious Morrigans ever, and that's saying something!"

Nobody had doubted that the succubus would try everything she could to break the bond between Lauren and The Ash. Everybody was worried that she would go a bridge too far, however.

Bo, who was glaring at Kenzi, huffed, "Trick, listen, I didn't come here for you to give me a silly tongue-lashing." She finally looked at him, her eyes softening, her voice almost pleading. "I need your help. The Morrigan gave me something that's supposed to assist me with waking Nadia up." After she had pulled the rusty nail out of her jacket pocket, she held it out to him. "I just don't know what to do with that damn thing."

Trick, knowing about the doctor's ex-girlfriend as one of the few, took the nail and had a long close look at it, the waiting almost killing Bo. Moreover, she didn't like the way his facial expressions were changing. He seemed to be confused at first, then amazed and finally anxious. "Nadia isn't suffering from a disease," Trick stated in the last analysis. "She's been cursed."

"Cursed?" Bo inquired. "What makes you think that? Lauren told me-"

_"It turns out that the people being affected by the outbreak weren't people at all. They were Fae." _

_"She was the_ _only human to get sick." _

The _only_ one.

"This," Trick said, holding up the nail, "is an african shaman's cursing nail. You need to find the piece of wood with the copy of the one you now possess in it and remove it in order to lift the curse."

"That's it?" Bo's hope was raising in view of a real clue. "I pull out the nail and then Nadia will wake up?"

Trick nodded.

"Awesome!" the succubus proclaimed. "Just tell me where to find the piece of wood and I'll hit the road!"

Seeing that Bo was nearly breathless with excitement, her eyes shining, deep regret washed over the bartender. His next words would shatter all her hopes. "I don't know where it is located. It could be everywhere around the world."

Bo's beatific smile slowly died on her lips. Trick and Kenzi were both startled when the succubus banged her fist on the bar surface, cracking the wood. She was sick of every answer bringing up another question.

* * *

><p>"Bo," The Morrigan purred, "you're back. Did you come to a decision?"<p>

The succubus was sitting across from the head of the Dark Fae yet again. As soon as Trick had told her everything he knew about the rusty nail, she had made for The Morrigan's office. Kenzi had tried to talk her out of it, without avail. Bo had left her at the car.

"It's an african shaman's cursing nail," Bo revealed her knowledge, seeing The Morrigan raising an eyebrow. "And I know that I have to find its counterpart. What I don't know is _where_ to find it unfortunately. Do you, _Evony_?"

The Morrigan gave a quiet smile. "Actually, yes."

Bo had to swallow hard, her heart starting to race. "What do you want in exchange for the information?"

When the succubus felt the other woman's foot caressing her own under the glassy desk, she jerked in reaction. Looking down, Bo was able watch Evony's shoeless foot trailing upwards, reaching her thighs. "Hem, what do I want?"

Bo was trapped in a conflict of feelings. Nobody was allowed to do such intimate things to her but Lauren. But what if a one-night stand with The Morrigan was the key to Lauren's release. Release. Bo hadn't had any sexual release for weeks, and Evony was sexy as hell at that. Anger. Guilt. Hunger. Lust.

"NO!" Bo jumped up to her shaky legs, breathing hitched. "I will not prostitute myself. My body belongs to the one person I love, nobody else. I wi-"

"I want you to join the Dark Fae," The Morrigan interrupted her coldly, no hint of seduction in her voice anymore. "That is the only thing I demand from you. Join the Dark Fae, and I will tell you where to find the nail and everything else you may want to know. Think about it."

* * *

><p><em>"And everything else you may want to know."<em>

If she joined the Dark Fae, Bo would not only get Lauren back, but also answers to her questions apparently. What had happened to her mother, Aife? Who was her father? What was her destiny? The Dark Fae was abundant with prospects, gathering powerful and wise Fae The Morrigan could interrogate for her. She could become Evony's right-hand woman maybe. She herself could become the next Morrigan.

All doors would be open to her. She would be in a position to wreak revenge on Lachlan, killing him and taking his place as well. She could be more powerful than all other Fae. Everyone would kneel at her feet. There would be no more Dark, and no more Light. There would be only her.

The world of Fae was crying for revolution.

"Yo, Bo!" Kenzi shouted into Bo's ear. "What did she say?"

The succubus took a deep breath, slackening her hold on the steering wheel a little. "That she would tell me if I joined The Dark.

"No way, momma bear," the girl bursted out. "You're certainly not gonna play Anakin Skywalker. You'd only end up as a living torch and then people would call you 'Bo Vader'. I'm sure Lauren loves your inner values like I do. Your outward appearance is a big bonus, though."

Bo kept silent, feeling Kenzi's eyes on her. "Bo?"

"What would be so bad about me being Dark Fae?" the succubus eventually groaned.

"What would..." Kenzi suppressed the urge to hit her best friend while driving. "Bo, you are _The Unaligned_. You, choosing a side, that would be as if... as if... The would be as if... Hell, I'm so outraged, I cannot even think of an apposite comparison right now! And what about Lauren and I? You know damn well that the Dark Fae don't care about humans!"

"I would protect you," Bo stated firmly. "Nothing would happen to you."

"Yeah," Kenzi snorted disdainfully. "You would protect us from _all_ the Dark Fae." She shook her head sadly. "If you're really planning on joining The Dark, forget about Lauren and her rescue. She's better off with the Ash-hole in that case."

Bo's voice was soft. "Kenzi, lis-"

"Forget it, Bo!" the girl snapped, turning her head away. "Do what you want."

* * *

><p>Two days later, Bo was again on the way to The Morrigan's office. After a lot of thinking, she had made the decision to join the Dark Fae at last.<p>

Kenzi had not once tried to dissuade her from it, but had punished her with silence and nasty looks. Bo, however, knew that Kenzi loved her and would come to terms with her choosing The Dark. And so would Lauren. The succubus wouldn't let anything happen to _her_ humans.

Suddenly Bo's phone rang. "What is it, Trick? I'm busy."


	5. Freedom

"Clearly this is _not_ the strangest thing that has ever happened to me," Bo conversed with herself, "but it's rated pretty highly for sure."

After the succubus had gone to see a specific tourist agency, she was now standing in the middle of the Congo rainforest and looking for an african shaman named Tshombe. According to Trick, he was the one who had cursed Nadia. The Blood King had used all his connections to find out where the second nail was located. Just in time to stop Bo from becoming Dark Fae.

_Bo came very near not answering the phone. Seeing that the caller was Trick, she did, though. "What is it, Trick? I'm busy."_

_"Tshombe!" the bartender shouted, Bo flinching at his loud voice._

_"No," she replied irritated, "it's Bo. Are you drunk?"_

_She could hear him take a deep breath before he told her, "Tshombe is the shaman who cursed Lauren's ex-girlfriend. He's living in the Congo. Either he's still in possession of the__ nail himself or he's able to tell you where it is now at least."_

_"Are you absolutely sure of it, Trick?" The last time he had brought new hope to her, she had been more devastated than before in the end. Her heart already started to beat faster. "If not-"_

_"I am," Trick assured her. "Bo, trust me."_

_The succubus felt hot and cold at the same time, her head spinning. Suddenly the dream of holding Lauren in her arms again seemed to be within her grasp. "Where exactly does he live? I need to book a flight! I need to-"_

_"Breathe," he cut her short. "Relax. A friend of mine runs a _special_ tourist agency. I'll give you the address."_

By this time, Bo couldn't believe that she had almost joined the Dark Fae. Nothing she would have gained as a result, neither power nor knowledge, would have been worth the bitter disappointment she would have seen in the eyes of her friends. Finally being able to think clearly, Bo realized that she would have broken Lauren's and Kenzi's heart. She would always be grateful to Trick.

Pulling out a sharp knife, Bo approached the wooden hut in front of her and opened the door cautiously. "Tshombe?"

She glanced around, spotting weird looking masks and dolls. Jars, both broken and whole, were lying everywhere on the dusty ground while the shaman himself was lying on a blanket, straw underneath it. Bo put away the knife and went over to him quickly, kneeling down. "I'm here 'bout a cursing nail that you put into a block of wood."

Tshombe opened his weary eyes and pointed at an unsound timber beam, only a few feet away. The succubus had seen it before, but only now did she notice that it was riddled with nails actually. She gasped silently, turning her attention back to the shaman whom she helped stand up. "Are you okay?"

"Thank you, child. I'm nearing the end of my journey, you know" he rasped, walking over to the beam with a limp and a stoop. "You are here on behalf of a cursed soul?"

"Yes," she answered, trying hard not to show her impatience. "A woman named Nadia."

Bo watched him look through the countless nails, mumbling various names to himself. Fighting the urge to make him get a move on, she pondered on what Tshombe would possibly want in reward of removing Nadia's nail. She couldn't imagine that he had a use of money, considering the way he was living. Yet she didn't mind since she was stone-broke, she herself living in a house without walls.

"Nadia," the shaman whispered, still fondling the rusty nails. "These are placed here for a reason."

"Aren't shamans supposed to be healers?" Bo asked. She had always believed that they wanted to help people and not to hurt them, thinking about Lauren's torment and loneliness. "Do you have any idea how much pain you caused these people's friends and families?"

"Everytime a person is cursed, it shifts the fortunes of others," Tshombe told her solemnly, really looking at Bo for the first time. "Who is to say the world is not a better place?"

Bo felt uncomfortable under his gaze, keeping silent. But maybe he wasn't such a bad guy at that. He turned back to the beam and touched one of the nails with the tip of his index finger. "Nadia."

"Pull it out," she demanded, her breath quickening in anticipation.

The only move the shaman made, however, was licking his chapped lips. "The one who ordered this curse paid handsomely."

Snorting softly, Bo apparently had to admit to having been wrong about him and money, not to mention his morals. She was curious, though. "Someone paid you to put a curse on her?"

"The former Ash of your region."

Truth to be told, Bo wasn't surprised to hear that. She was aware of Lachlan not being the first and only cruel and snaeky Ash. She gave a bleak smile. "The leader of the Light Fae made a deal with a Dark Fae shaman?"

"The Light do not mind compromise when they feel the ends justifies the means," he answered.

Bo sighed heavily. "Cursing Nadia ensured that Lauren would do everything in her power to find an antidote to the Fae fever."

Tshombe nodded his assent. "Because of that, several hundred Fae were cured."

Bo swallowed hard. Lives had been saved, but Lauren's life, on the other hand, had been smashed to pieces. One night, both women revelling in the afterglow of their sensual love-making, Lauren had told her that she had had to cut all her ties when she had pledged eternal allegiance to The Ash, leaving behind her friends and her family, her little sister Kathy. The Ash had made them believe that she had died in the Congo, killed by a wild animal probably for her body had been 'untraceable'.

Lauren, a woman so kind, caring and unselfish, didn't deserve that. The succubus swore to herself that she would treat Lauren like the treasure she was to her, she would never hurt her, but worship her until her dying day. "How much to pull out the nail?"

Tshombe's next words made Bo feel like she'd just been punched in the stomach. "Once put in, a nail cannot be removed."

"Unless," he spoke under his breath, the succubus hanging on his every word. "Unless the person trying loves someone involved in the matter so completely and utterly selfless that he is able to break the curse. In this case, the nail can be removed with bare hand."

"Step aside, my friend," Bo laughed in relief while she wrapped her fingers around Nadia's nail and gave it a tug. It didn't budge an inch, not even when she yanked at it with all her might, tearing her skin open in the process. "What the fuck? Why doesn't it work? I love Lauren. I would do anything for her. I would _die_ for her!"

"That you would do," he beared her out. "But you would _not _do _anything_ for her."

Desperate and raging, Bo pulled out the knife again, ready to force the shaman to tell her the truth. She'd had it up to here with The Ash, The Morrigan, Nadia and all the goddamned drama. She wanted Lauren back. Now. No more lies, no more services in exchange for crappy cursing nails and stupid fragments of information. No more anguish. Lauren. _Now_.

"You would not let her go," the shaman told her unimpressed. "Deep in your mind, you are scared of what will happen once Nadia is awake. You are scared of Lauren falling for her again. You are not willing to give up on Lauren, even if it would make her happy. Your love for her is not selfless."

"How do you...?" Bo dropped the knife, tears welling up in her eyes. Her anger was slowly fading away until nothing but misery remained inside of her. "I want her to be happy," the succubus whispered brokenly. "_With me_."

"That is the problem. The reason why you cannot remove the nail."

"What do I have to do?" she sobbed, getting on her knees. "Help me, please."

Tshombe shook his head at a slow pace. "I cannot help you. Only you can. Let go of your fear, your jealousy and what is more, your possessive mentality. Trust in this woman's love for you and stop to bottle her up."

Bo put her head in her hands, tears mixing with blood. How could she let go of all these things, of the one she loved more than life itself? She needed Lauren. The very thought of her going back to Nadia caused her heart to wrench. She didn't want to possess Lauren, but she couldn't help feeling like the only one the doctor belonged to. Bo was disgusted with herself, with her selfishness.

Lauren always put herself aside, thinking about others first. Why couldn't she do that? If Nadia made Lauren happy, happier than Bo ever could, why was she unable to let go of her then? She knew she had no right to restrain Lauren from a normal life with Nadia. She had sworn to herself that she would never hurt Lauren, that she would do everything for her. She would not break this vow. She would let go of Lauren, even if it meant a life without her for Bo.

The succubus pounded her fist on the dirty ground, uttering a cry.

She would never kiss or touch Lauren again if that was what she wanted. She would never say 'I love you' to her again, would never make love to her again. Lauren was not her property. Lauren was... She was her lover, her girlfriend.

Lauren was the one who had deceived The Ash for her, the one who had entrusted her life to Bo when she had still struggled with controlling herself. Lauren was the one who hadn't wanted to sleep with her just for fun, the one Bo had slow danced with for the first time. Besides Kenzi, Lauren was the only one who accepted and loved Bo the way she was. Lauren loved her and would never leave her for Nadia.

Bo would let her go, because she loved her. Lauren would stay with her, because she loved her back.

Taking a deep breath, the succubus stood up and wrapped her bloody fingers around Nadia's nail for the second time.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Nadia," Lauren spoke to the pod-like capsule her ex-girlfriend was encased in. "Sorry I haven't been here to see you for the past few weeks. I've just been kind of busy, you know."<p>

Lauren was aware of Nadia not being able to hear her. Yet she had often visited and talked to her in the last five years, telling her about how hard she was working on finding a cure for her, or about an interesting case of another Fae illness. Talking to Nadia had probably saved Lauren from becoming insane, being surrounded by so many people, and being so lonely, though.

"Why am I lying to you?" the doctor asked, frowning. "I'd been with Bo until The Ash had called me off four weeks ago. I didn't want to look in on you then." She paused, blinking back burning tears. "I came back because of you, Nadia. I love you, I always will. But to be honest, I love Bo more than I ever loved you. She's the one for me. I will remain with you till you wake up and then I will take care of you. My heart will never be yours again, however."

"I mean, I don't wanna get my hopes up," she carried on. "Bo's doing everything she can, putting herself in danger for me, but she's not... Maybe we will be prisoners for the rest of our lives, Nadia. I will be Bo's still. You should know that."

She was about to leave the laboratory when Nadia's cardiac monitor started to go off and the capsule began glowing. Lauren couldn't anything other than watch the capsule finally disappear. Nadia was now lying on the table openly, casting up her lively eyes and turning her head towards the doctor. "Lauren."

Nadia sat up on the table while Lauren was close to passing out, wondering if she had yet lost her mind after all. "Nad... Nadia?"

"Lauren, what happened?" the dark-haired woman asked, scared-looking, her eyes wandering. "Where am I?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Lauren's voice was breathy. Five years. She had been waiting for this moment for five fucking years, and that was it? Some beeping and a glow? She had always pictured it to be way more spectacular. But she had also pictured them to kiss passionately at the moment of Nadia's awakening until Bo had entered her life. "Bo has actually somehow managed to-"

"Who?"

"Nadia, what is the last thing you remember?"

Nadia licked her lips. "We were in the Congo. I felt strange and you told me to lay down. I did and... Well, that's it."

"I will tell you everything," Lauren promised her. "But first of all, we're gonna get out of here."

Only ten minutes later, Lauren stormed into The Ash's office with Nadia in tow. When he grasped the sight in front of him, she noticed the shocked expression on his face with satisfaction. She pulled off her lab coat and tossed it at his feet. "Nadia and I are leaving for good. I'm not yours any longer, Lachlan."

"Well..." He didn't know what to say.

Lauren knew more about the Fae laws than most Fae did. Now that Nadia was awake and not dependent on The Ash's resources anymore, he had no power over the doctor. Their contract was null and void. She was free to leave his compound. A smirk on her lips, Lauren took Nadia by the hand and turned around, ready for her eagerly awaited liberty. "Good bye, Lachlan."


	6. Somebody

Thank you really much for reviewing, guys!:)  
>Slytherins are better, I think your english is just fine, honestly. I feel really honored that you like me story, despite BoLauren! And I can promise you that Kenzi's gonna live it up in the next chapter;)

* * *

><p>Late in the evening, Lauren was sitting cross-legged on her couch with a glass of wine in hand, trying to get her head around the events of the day. Nadia was in fact no longer in coma and she was finally free from The Ash. It was so surreal that a part of Lauren expected to wake up from a dream in a bit, head resting on her desk at the lab.<p>

She had taken Nadia home and had told her everything for the doctor had found that she had a right to know the whole story. She had told her about the Fae, the fever, The Ash, the past five years, and she had told her about Bo. To Lauren's surprise, Nadia had kept an even keel. It was due to a shock probably, though. Lauren had recommended her to take a sedative tablet and to lay down in the guest room for a while. Nadia had accepted the offer unquestioningly.

Being sure of Nadia sleeping through the night, Lauren had decided to pour herself a drink. She knew she would have to deal with Nadia all over again in the morning, for real this time. Nadia had followed her into the Congo with the aim to win her back. She wouldn't stand aside, watching Bo and her living happily ever after. Lauren had always worked towards this moment, Nadia being awake, but now she didn't know what to make of it.

What would Bo think? Where the hell was Bo anyway? After sending Nadia to bed, she had tried to call her without results. Next, she had called Kenzi who had told her that she hadn't seen the succubus all day. The girl had been terrified of Bo having done something stupid. She had confessed to her that Bo had been thinking about becoming Dark Fae.

Dyson hadn't known anything either. Luckily, however, Trick had been able to tell her that she hadn't joined The Dark, but had gone to see an african shaman. He had explained the real reason for Nadia's coma to her. Nobody knew where Bo was now, though.

A knock at the door disturbed her dark thoughts. The Ash's henchmen, charged with bringing her back to him? No, that would have been against the law. Yet Lachlan didn't really care about the law, did he?

She put the glass down onto the table and went to the door, reckoning with trouble. But when she looked through the spyhole, her heart started racing because of a entirely different reason; Bo was standing on her porch.

Lauren's own shock wore off, and a wave of emotions engulfed her all of a sudden. Relief. Joy. Worry. Anger. Love. Hatred. For years, she had been up to control her feelings, but she was simply too far gone to keep on doing so. Tears streamed down Lauren's face by the time she yanked the door open and wrapped her arms around the succubus, nearly knocking her off her feet.

Bo struggled to dam up her own tears while the doctor clung to her and sobbed against her neck. She pulled Lauren as close as possible to her, whispering into her ear, "Shh, it's okay. You're free now, babe." Both their legs gave way, and the only thing Bo could do, was to lay Lauren on her back gently before she collapsed on top of her then. "Lauren, I love you."

The succubus was emotionally and physically exhausted. She hadn't slept, eaten, let alone fed properly since Lauren had left the clubhouse. She had been beaten up four times. She had begged Lachlan for short visits with Lauren. She had almost sold herself to the Dark Fae. She had let go of her selfinterest. She only wanted for Lauren to hold her now. She needed it more than anything else.

"I love you, Bo," Lauren replied hoarsely. She took her lover's head in both of her shaky hands with the intention of kiss her, but gasped once she saw Bo's face by means of the mild hallway lighting. It was covered in dried blood. "Oh my God, Bo! What did you do? What happened? Where have you been? I was so worried! Trick told me that y-"

Bo silenced her with a soft kiss. "It's not as bad as it looks." She showed Lauren the open cuts on her fingers. "That's it. I'm fine, especially as you're here with me now." The succubus placed another peck on Lauren's lips.

"Let me take care of it, though," the doctor rasped, calming herself down. Maybe she should have taken the sedative, not Nadia. "We should get up anyway. We're half lying on the porch and half in the hallway, you know."

Both women started laughing until Bo's eyes started to glow, bathing Lauren's face in blue light. "You can take care of it right here, right now, Lauren. Do you trust me?"

Without a word, Lauren captured Bo's lips in a sensual kiss. After nibbling on the succubus' lower lip, she darted her tongue into Bo's hot mouth, encouraging Bo to feed off of her. Even Lauren's humanly chi would be enough for these cuts to heal. She heard Bo moaning her name softly before this familiar warm and fuzzy feeling passed through her body again. Praying that Bo would never stop, Lauren rocked against her unknowingly.

When Bo retreated, the doctor followed her, searching for her mouth. The succubus, however, shook her head. "Careful, Lauren. I already told you how good you taste." A sudden thought flashed through Bo's mind. "Where's Nadia?"

"In... In the guest room," Lauren answered, giving her best to ignore the throbbing between her legs. "Sleeping, I guess."

A few minutes later, Bo was sitting on the edge of Lauren's king-size bed with her legs on the floor. Lauren herself was kneeling in front of her, wiping away the blood from the succubus' fingers with a wet towel. "You really told her about me?"

Lauren nodded, still concentrating her attention on her current task. "Thinking back, it might have been quite insensitive, but I had broken up with Nadia before I went to the Congo. And even though I enslaved myself for her, I don't wanna be with her ever again." She kissed the tips of Bo's fingers. "I wanna be with you, and she has to know that."

"I would have let you go, because I love you," Bo whispered. "You're gonna stay with me, because you love me back."

"What did you say?" Lauren looked up, spotting the tears on the succubus' now clean cheeks. "Hey. Don't cry, my heroine."

The doctor's words made Bo chuckle. But then Bo noticed something that made her blood boil, though. "Why are you still wearing The Ash's necklace?"

"Because I wanted you to tear it off like you did back then," Lauren explained in a breathy voice. "Only this time, I will not put it back on. Can you do that for me?"

Bo swallowed hard, feeling honored. She clenched her fist around the pendant and gave it a firm tug, looking into Lauren's watery beautiful eyes the whole time. "Now you're finally free, Lauren."

"Thank you, Bo," the doctor sniffed, such a joyful smile on her face Bo had never seen before. "Thank you."

All her life so far, the succubus had longed for somebody to love and who would return her love. Somebody in whose arms she could crumble. Somebody who would be there for her no matter what. And after all those years of fear, loneliness and despair, she had finally met a woman named Lauren. Lauren Lewis. Things hadn't been easy between them, they would probably never be. But Lauren was the person Bo had always longed for. And if Lauren didn't tell her to leave, Bo never would.

"You should call Kenzi," the doctor said for the umpteenth time now. "Bo, are you listening to me?"

Bo snapped out of it at last. "I did on my way here. When I came back from the... the Congo, I first went to see Lachlan. He told me that you and Nadia were already gone. Then I called Kenzi, asking her if you were at the clubhouse. She told me that she had talked to you a few minutes earlier and that you were at home. I floored the gas pedal. Almost caused an accident, you know."

"Bo," Lauren scolded her half-heartedly, a smile on her face. "Couldn't you wait that little longer?"

The succubus only said, "No."

Lauren's heart ached in view of the purity and honesty behind these two letters. She threw the towel aside, pulled up Bo's shirt a bit and put her hands on her lover's bare hips, drawing circles with her thumbs. Lowering her head, she kissed the exposed skin of Bo's belly tenderly before she opened her belt. She unbottoned her lover's jeans and lowered the zipper slowly, the sound of it highly arousing. A soft moan reached her ears. "Lauren..."

"Lift," the doctor ordered while grabbing the waistband of Bo's jeans, wanting to get her out of the annoying piece of clothing. Bo, already breathing heavily, did as she was told and watched her jeans coming off swiftly. She knew what Lauren was going to do to her, and wetness flooded her center. It had been no lie when she had told her girlfriend how good she was at _that_.

Lauren pulled off Bo's thong as well and spread her legs wide open, a heavy scent filling her nose. It had been way too long. She put her hands under Bo's knees and placed her legs on her shoulders and could see that her lover's lips were glistening with her juices, her engorged clit peeking out. Lauren pulled her a little closer and then buried her face between Bo's thighs. The succubus put one hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming while she laced the other into Lauren's hair, falling on her back.

The doctor's tongue ran the length of Bo's slit while she cupped the succubus' breasts and started to knead them through the barrier of her shirt. She only entered her with the tip of her tongue from time to time, Bo writhing underneath her skilled mouth. She pushed two fingers inside of her without warning and Bo cried out and threw her head back. "Look at me, Bo."

Bo lifted her head with difficulty and looked into Lauren's piercing eyes while she pleasured her. It was the most erotic thing the succubus had ever experienced. She could not only feel Lauren drawing circles around her clit with her tongue but could also watch her doing so. One moan after the other fell from Bo's lips, Lauren adding a third finger and picked up speed.

Lauren curled her fingers just perfectly, Bo's hips rolling against her hand and her mouth erratically. Bo couldn't breathe anymore, her fingers clutched at the sheets, ripping them up. Lauren's tongue brushed against the succubus' swollen clit and then the doctor felt her inner walls finally contracting hard. Bo arched her back and cried out Lauren's name before crashing completely.

* * *

><p>"Nadia's gonna wake up any minute now," Lauren sighed, standing on the porch with Bo for already a quarter of an hour. "You really need to go. I mean, she knows about you, but finding out that you spent the night with me might be a little too much for the moment."<p>

"I know," Bo answered, making no move to release her girlfriend from her arms. After such an incredible night, she found herself to be surprisingly clingy. Making sweet love to each other, talking about the things they had been through the past few weeks, making passionate love to each other, declaring their feelings for one another, making slow love to each other. Bo still shivered with excitement at the mere thought of it.

Lauren kissed her gently. "I'll call you later, okay?"

"I've got a better idea," Bo proclaimed. "Why don't you and Nadia come to The Dal tonight? I'll invite Kenzi, Dyson, Hale and Kiara as well. Maybe meeting her won't be that awkward then. And we have to celebrate your freedom anyway. What do you think?"

"Alright, but-"

"Lauren?" they heard a voice from inside the house. "Lauren, are you there?"

"Go," she whispered to the succubus before placing a quick kiss on her lips. "See you tonight."


	7. Tonight

I was really struggling with this one, but I hope it turned out good enough. Please tell me if it sucked or not.  
>Kenzi's not gonna live it up until the next one, unfortunately.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Lauren was literally amazed how <em>one_ man could actually be _so _boring despite the fact that he was a firefighter. _

_Moreover, his name was Ethan, he was nice, he was handsome, and he was another blind date her mother Patricia had sent her on because she absolutely refused to see that her daughter was gay. But since Lauren was also a good and not only a homosexual daughter, she always agreed to meet those 'honey-he-is-perfect-for-you-men' to have her peace. She wouldn't confront her mother until she had found a woman who was really worth it._

_"Hello. My name's Nadia and I'll be serving you tonight."_

Walking into the living room, Lauren slapped on a rather uneasy smile and held up the newspaper for Nadia to see. "Just went to get the paper," the doctor informed her before wishing her a good morning. "Slept well last night?"

"Yeah," Nadia replied. "Must have been the pill."

An awkward silence fell upon them then; neither Lauren nor Nadia knew how to handle the present situation. While Lauren still couldn't get over the fact that her ex-girlfriend was finally awake, Nadia still struggled with apprehending all the things the doctor had told her about. Fae. The Ash and The Morrigan. Cursing nails. Five lost years. Bo. "You want some breakfast?"

"Yes, please."

It was weird for them to sit at one table and to have breakfast together like they had used to by the time they had been a couple. Lauren half expected Nadia to stand up and sit back down, but on her lap this time. She had always loved it when Nadia had done that, caressing her neck with her full lips afterwards. Now, however, the doctor could only think of Bo as the one who was allowed to crawl into her lap.

"At least your pancakes remained the same," Nadia joked half-heartedly, Lauren smiling at the comment. "So... You and _Bo_ are... Is it something serious?"

"Yes indeed, it certainly is!" Lauren blurted out cheerily before she could pull herself together. "Err... I mean, yes."

Lauren scolded herself mentally. She was proud, though, that they weren't just having a fling with each other. Mere sexual attraction had developed into something so deep and fervent, conquering secretiveness, lying, jealousy and slavery. It was corny, Lauren was very well aware of it, but every time she thought about their history, a certain proverb came to her mind: The course of true love never did run smooth. Nothing would ever tear Bo and her apart.

"I'm happy for you." Noticing the bitterness in Nadia's voice, Lauren couldn't help flinching. "It's really nice of you to pick someone else up while your girlfriend is lying in a coma. You were a woman of noble character all long."

Lauren took a deep breath, putting down her coffee mug. She gave her best to bear with Nadia and her displayed ingratitude, knowing that it was probably her way of dealing with the anxiety and hurt she was experiencing. The doctor knew all too well how it was to lose everything in only a few seconds. All Nadia had left was Lauren who was causing her even more pain by being with Bo. Lauren's love for Nadia was long gone, but Nadia's love for Lauren was as strong as ever obviously.

The doctor didn't want to have this talk. "Nadia, when I met Bo, I had broken up with you long ago. I broke up with you before I went to the Congo. You followed me by choice, and yet I enslaved myself for you when you went comatose. I lost my friends and my family, I lost Kathy, but I don't blame you. Now please, _Nia_, don't blame me for moving on."

Fearing that she had made Nadia feel guilty about her loss, Lauren was caught off guard as she heard Nadia hiss, "Well, I wish I could have moved on."

"Now you can," the doctor told her, ignoring her ex-girlfriend's naked egoism. "Listen, I will always be there for you, Nia. Promise! But you have to accept that we are over. I love Bo and I'm with her now." Lauren ruffled her hair helplessly. "Let's be friends?"

The sadness she saw in Nadia's almond eyes then cut deep into Lauren's heart. She didn't want to see the woman suffer who she had once imagined to have children with. "I love you,_ L_."

"I... I love you, too... In a way," Lauren sighed. "Part of me always will. We had an amazing time together." A smile formed on her lips as old memories came into her mind. "Do you remember our trip to France? When we were standing on the Eiffel Tower, and it was so freezing cold? I'll never forget that moment, or any of the other wonderful ones we shared." Her smile faded. "But things have been horrible between us towards the end of our relationship, and you know that."

At one point, Nadia had even thrown a plate at Lauren, accusing her of cheating on her with a nurse. Nadia had apologized to her straightaway and finally, they had had rough sex on the kitchen floor. Their relationship had been destined to fail after that incident, though. "Bo's the one for me. You just can't compete with what I feel for her, Nadia."

"But maybe I can compete with what she _makes _you feel in this area," Nadia suddenly purred, reaching between Lauren's thighs. The doctor gave a yelp and almost knocked the table over. "We used to have awesome sex, Lauren. Remember?"

Grasping what Nadia was doing, Lauren slapped her hand away like a shot and shouted, "Are you crazy?"

While the doctor was looking daggers at her, Nadia simply rolled her eyes in annoyance and leaned back in her chair. Now it was Lauren's time to hiss. "Don't you ever do that again, or you will stay at a hotel. I don't need you here in my house. You hear?"

Nadia merely shrugged, Lauren trying to simmer down again. Her ex-girlfriend had never been one for rules or social restraints, but until now, Nadia had also always known when to stop. The doctor just couldn't believe that Nadia wanted for her to cheat on Bo. It must have been the fear of losing her as well, Lauren persuaded herself. "Nadia, I don't wanna fight with you. It's a lot to take in for you at the moment, I know, and I'm probably being very insensitive by talking about Bo and what I feel for her. But-"

"No, you're not," Nadia interrupted her, shaking her head. "You're being honest with me. I appreciate that."

Lauren heaved a soft sigh of relief, cherishing the hope that they could really be normal friends one day. She wasn't in love with her anymore, but Nadia still meant a great deal to her. "Hey, let's go out tonight? A friend of mine runs a bar, The Dal Riata. Bo will be there, along with others. You could get to know her? I'm sure you'd like her." She tempered her excitement a little bit. "If it's not too soon, of course?"

"No, it's fine," Nadia said. "I'm looking forward to meet the woman who stole my girlfriend."

Lauren was wondering how long she would have to stomach such snide remarks before Nadia would have come to terms with her being together with Bo now. "Nadia, please-"

"Tell me a little more about the Fae?" Nadia asked her all of a sudden.

"Um, well..."

* * *

><p>Entering The Dal Riata with Nadia in tow, Lauren was astounded to see that the whole place was empty except for Bo, Kenzi, Dyson, Kiara, Hale and Trick. They were standing next to each other, all dressed up and smiling brightly at the two women; it looked as if they had only been waiting for them. Before Lauren had a chance to say anything, however, they started cheering together, "Congratulations on your freedom!"<p>

"We thought that's worth a little private party, you know," Trick explained, laughing at Lauren's startled face, while Bo already cracked open a bottle of champagner on his right. He went over to Nadia, holding his hand out to her. "Hi, I'm Trick."

In the meantime, Dyson came up to Lauren and gave her a gentle hug, leaving the doctor speechless. "I'm happy for you," he said, a grin on his bearded face. "For you and Bo. I never stood a chance, I guess."

Afterwards, the shapeshifter introduced himself to Nadia and it was Hale's turn to put his arms around Lauren before switching to Nadia. Kiara simply kissed them both on their cheeks, striking Lauren as a real nice person. "Kenzi?" the doctor asked, smiling faintly at the girl who was glaring at her. "I'm sorry?"

"You better not leave me alone among all these Fae again," Kenzi threatened her. "Otherwise you'll be begging for The Ash to lock your Hotpants back up so I can't get to them."

"I'll stay for as long as you want me to," Lauren replied, right before the girl made a beeline for her to hug and squeeze her, uttering something along the lines of 'You still suck.' under her breath. "I like you, too, Kenzi."

"Yo, lil mama," Hale laughed, "you're on_ that_ team now?"

Kenzi let go of the doctor, sticking out her tongue to him. "Actually, my name's Kenzi," she told Nadia. "But you may call me tsarina."

"She's kidding." Lauren rolled her eyes, then addressing herself to the others. "Thank you, guys. I... I really don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything," Bo chuckled, handing her a glass. "Hey, Nadia. I'm Bo."

To outsiders, it must have looked like two people simply chatting with each other, only Bo a little nervous. Lauren knew Nadia way too well, however, and noticed the tension on her face. She gave thanks to the succubus for lifting the curse and taking care of Lauren, smiling brightly, but in fact, everything Nadia wanted to do was to yell at her. The doctor accepted it. For now.

Three hours later, Kenzi was dancing on a tabletop with Dyson and Hale trying to get her back down while Bo was bonding with Kiara. Lauren and Nadia were sitting at the bar, downing tequila shots.

"Watch out, L," Nadia warned the doctor laughing. "You always had a low tolerance for tequila."

Lauren was indeed a little tipsy. She was still sober enough to note the hand that was stroking the inside of her left thigh, though. "Nadia, I already told you not to do that." When Nadia moved higher, she jumped up. "Stop it for fuck's sake!"

Hearing her girlfriend's voice picking up volume, Bo turned her head and saw Lauren rushing off into the rest room just in time. Quickly apologizing to Kiara, Bo followed the doctor, finding her hunched over the sink, splashing water on the face.

"Babe, are you okay?" The succubus went over to her girlfriend, placing a warm hand on her shoulder. Since the doctor's dress was low-backed, Bo could trail soothing patterns along her spine. "Are you sick?"

Lauren turned around, looking into Bo's concerned eyes for a moment, and held her tight then. "No, I'm fine," she whispered against the succubus neck. "Don't worry."

Bo pressed the doctor's body against her own wordlessly, pulsing a bit of energy into her, only with the aim to relax her. It already must have been overwhelming for Lauren that she was free of The Ash now, but she had to deal with her ex-girlfriend simultaneously. She was probably totally exhausted.

"You're wearing the same dress you wore when you cooked dinner for us," Lauren noted with a smile once she lifted her head again. It had been one of the most wonderful nights in her life. "You look absolutely stunning."

"So do you. The sight of you when you walked in earlier took my breath away." Bo leaned her forehead against the doctor's gently after stealing a kiss. "It's really hard for me not to kiss and hold you out there, you know."

"Thank you, Bo. For being considerate of Nadia."

"I would do anything for you, Lauren."

Suddenly the doctor started to rock her hips against Bo's slowly, the succubus releasing a soft moan. Bo slid her hand under Lauren's dress while she pulled her in for a passionate kiss. She could feel her girlfriend's wet heat, diving into it with pleasure, and had her panting and bucking within seconds. "God, I'm so close. Don't stop, Bo. Please!"

The succubus already felt Lauren's inner walls start to contract as somebody opened the door all of a sudden. "A peepshow in the restroom. Awesome..."

"Nadia!"


	8. Fine

"Fuck," Lauren groaned. "Fuck."

She was standing under the shower for ages now, her palms flat against the tiles and her head dropped forward, letting hot water run down her back. Actually, she had hoped that it would wash away all the stress she had accumulated lately, but it didn't really work. The rhythmic sound of the water hitting the shower tray helped her to settle her thoughts a bit at least.

Lauren had stayed up all night, waiting for Nadia to return. Her ex-girlfriend had stormed out of the bar after she had witnessed the doctor coming undone in the restroom with Bo's fingers buried inside of her. Once Lauren had realized what had happened and had been able to walk again, they had looked for her. Even Dyson had failed to trace her, though. They had given up at last, making their ways home.

Bo had taken Lauren home after the doctor had declined her offer to sleep at the clubhouse. No matter what, Nadia would have to come back to Lauren's place in the end. The succubus had apologized to her for the fiasco over and over again when they had stood on the porch before Lauren had kissed her passionately to finally shut her up and had assured her that it hadn't been her fault.

The doctor turned off the shower, reaching for a towel. And a few minutes later, she entered the living room, clad in a bathrobe. Since she had promised Bo that she would call her in the morning, Lauren fetched her cellphone and slumped down onto the couch. Staring at the cell, she found herself feeling suddenly weak and helpless, the need to hear Bo's voice overwhelming.

"_Lauren! Hey,_" the succubus answered the call almost instantly. "_You okay?_"

"Hi, sweety," Lauren spoke softly, a faint smile on her lips. "Yes, I am."

And that was when Lauren fell silent. She was _not_ okay, even though she should have been, rid of The Ash now. Things, however, weren't how she had imagined them to be during those five years of slavery; Nadia being angry and jealous, coming on to the doctor despite knowing that she was with Bo. Bo, who was so understanding and affectionate towards her.

In return, Lauren was lying to the succubus, always telling her that everything was alright. She didn't want to take care of her ex-girlfriend; she wanted to spend time with the woman she loved. She wished for them to be able to act like a normal couple, and for Nadia to disappear out of her life. Lauren was so ashamed of the last part. But it would be so much simpler without her.

"_Lauren?_" Bo asked concerned. "_What's wrong? Did Nadia show up? Did you have a fight?_"

Taking a deep breath, Lauren tried to gulp back her tears. "No, she didn't," she rasped. "It's... Bo, I'm so you come over please? I really need you to hold me right now."

"_Of course, babe,_" Bo replied. "_I'll be there in a second._"

"Thank you." The doctor hung up and closed her eyes then, trying to calm down. Bo would be here soon. She would make everything better.

Lauren was about to fall asleep as a knock at the door made her jump. It was definitely not her girlfriend for they weren't living so nearby that she would arrive in such a short time. It probably was Nadia, who had blown off steam and now wanted to be hosted again. The doctor thought about walking out on her, but quickly dismissed the idea. She just couldn't do that.

Bracing herself, Lauren went to open the door. It was in fact Nadia.

The doctor stepped aside wordlessly, signalizing for the other woman to come in. After Nadia had done so, Lauren closed the door and made her way back into the living room, Nadia following her. She didn't even want to look at her ex-girlfriend. "It's dangerous to run around alone outside in the middle of the night. Just so you know."

"I think that it's way more dangerous in here," Nadia answered harshly. "At least for you."

For some reason, a cold shiver ran down Lauren's back while her pulse quickened. She turned around to face the other woman. "What are you talki-"

Lauren wondered if she was possibly dreaming. It didn't feel like a dream, however. She hadn't slept at all last night, so maybe she was hallucinating. Certainly her mind was playing tricks on her. It had to be like this for Nadia would never point a gun at her, would she?

"A lot of dubious people are out there at night," Nadia told her, a scornful smile on her face. "And they sell all sorts of things."

It slowly but surely dawned on the doctor that this was actually happening; Nadia was indeed holding her at gunpoint. She tried her best to remain calm, fighting back her rising panic. To start screaming and calling for help would have been the worst that she could have done in this situation. Lauren had never thought that Nadia was capable of doing something like this, so she had doubts whether she would shoot her or not.

"Nadia, put that thing away," Lauren croaked, breaking out in a cold sweat. "I'm sorry for last night. Let's j-"

"Shut up!" the other woman shouted, right before her voice grew dangerously soft. "Take off your robe, Lauren."

"Listen, we..." Lauren swallowed audibly hard as Nadia cocked the gun without a word. "Okay, okay."

Somehow, Lauren knew that another try would be her death. Staring directly into the gun's barrel, she untied her bathrobe belt and removed the garment then. When she saw Nadia's lusty eyes roaming over her naked body, her own eyes welled up with burning tears. "You're beautiful, honey," Nadia whispered, making the doctor's stomach turn.

Nadia walked up to Lauren and placed the gun under her chin, tears now streaming down Lauren's cheeks. The doctor gave a pathetic whimper as Nadia nipped at the skin of her neck carefully and wrapped her free arm around her waist to pull her close. Lauren had never thought she would ever be so disgusted by her ex-girlfriend's touch.

"Nadia, please," Lauren cried, trembling in every limb. "Don't."

The other woman didn't listen but got on her knees, pressing the gun against Lauren's chest. Nadia brushed the doctor's belly with her lips, Lauren closed her eyes and surrendered mentally. Nadia would take from her whatever she wanted, although it rightfully belonged to Bo.

But then Lauren heard a sharp cry and a thud, and the pressure of Nadia's body was gone all of a sudden, just as the coldness of the gun against her chest. She slowly opened her eyes to see Bo standing in front of her. She had never seen her like this before, though. Not only were the succubus' eyes blazing blue, but also her entire body was glowing. She had fallen into a rage. "B... Bo?"

Bo didn't show any reaction. Instead, she turned her head to the right before she got going, walking over to Nadia, who was obviously squirming with pain. There was a big dent in the wall above her. The succubus simply kneeled down, grabbed Nadia by the throat and started to suck her chi. Even though Lauren was in a state of shock, she noticed that Bo was taking too much, very deliberately it seemed. "Bo, you have to stop! Please!"

The succubus seemed to hesitate for a moment, but she stopped feeding eventually. Nadia's face was as white as chalk. Bo looked at Lauren, her voice very deep and loud when she said, "Why? She deserves to die for what she almost did to you!"

"Do it for me," Lauren requested, praying that she would filter down to the berserk succubus. "I wanna think about you as the woman, who saved me. Not as the woman, who killed my ex-girlfriend."

That triggered something inside of Bo, and her eyes and her body stopped glowing. She was incapable of telling how she felt as she saw the one she loved standing there, naked, shivering and with tearstained cheeks. Bo let go of Nadia and made a beeline for Lauren then, wrapping her arms around her tightly. Relief washed over the doctor, and she broke down crying once she realized that Bo was there and that Nadia wouldn't harm her.

The two woman were sitting on the floor for ages, Lauren enfolded in Bo's arms and with her head buried in the succubus' neck. Whispering soothing things into the doctor's ear, Bo noticed that Nadia had cut and run in the meantime. It didn't matter for now. Lauren mattered. Bo would call Dyson later, asking him to hunt for that awful person.

"You'll come with me," Bo told the doctor. "To the clubhouse."

* * *

><p>"I'm gonna kill that bitch!" Kenzi shouted, pacing around the living room. "I'm gonna kill her and then I'm gonna resurrect her somehow so that I can kill her again! I'm sure Trickster knows how to raise the dead!"<p>

After Lauren had put on some clothes, Bo had simply picked her up and had carried her to the car. Lauren had been too exhausted to protest, the succubus' warmth and strength relaxing her further as well. The doctor had nearly fallen asleep in Bo's car, so Bo had also carried her into the clubhouse, frightening Kenzi witless when she had seen the state 'her Hotpants' was in.

Bo had laid Lauren down in her bed and the doctor had dropped off immediately. The succubus had stayed at her side for a while, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead now and then, before she had gone down to tell a confused and worried Kenzi what had happened. That had been half an hour ago, and the girl was still cursing like a sailor, sometimes in English, sometimes in Russian and sometimes in a language Bo wasn't sure existed.

"You know what, Bo-Bo bear?" the girl said, stopping dead in her tracks. "I'll get my brass knucks and then we'll go hunting! Dyson can wolf out and we'll even have a hunting dog! You should have succu-sucked her until she was so dry like a desert! Yo-"

"Kenzi!" Bo interrupted her. "I almost did." She took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose. "When I walked into Lauren's house and saw _that_, I... I totally snapped, Kenz. I grabbed Nadia and threw her against the wall and... I almost killed her. I'm glad that Lauren stopped me, but don't worry, she won't be on the loose much longer."

* * *

><p>It was already late in the evening when Lauren woke up and went down into the living room. She was greeted by Bo and Kenzi, both women unsure of how to behave towards her. "Guys, you don't have to handle me with kid gloves. I <em>will be<em> fine."

Lauren was serious. It would take its time for her to process what had happened, but she knew she had Bo and Kenzi and all the others to help her doing so. And the doctor wouldn't have to deal with Nadia anymore.

Bo hugged her from behind, kissing her shoulder tenderly while Kenzi asked her if she wanted a 'coffee hug' as well.

"A coffee hug?"

Kenzi nodded, holding up a steaming mug.


	9. Finale

Lauren wasn't sure how to react, standing in the backyard of the clubhouse in front of a fire barrel with Bo at her side. She finally settled for chuckling and teased the succubus gently, "My surprise is a burning bin? Sweetie, that's _so_ romantic."

Bo rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips. "Of course not. But it's an important part of it."

They had been lying on the couch together, only snuggling innocently since Kenzi had been sitting on her usual spot on the floor, killing robot hookers. When Bo had told her to stand up, the doctor had thought that she wanted to go to bed. Instead, Bo had proclaimed that she had a surprise for her, telling Lauren to follow her outside in five minutes.

The succubus reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of jewelry Lauren had already forgotten about. The Ash's necklace. "I took it with me when I left your house the morning after your first night in freedom. I want you to throw it into the flames."

Lauren stared at it for a long time, thinking about all the things she had gone through because of it. At a certain point, she had died on the inside, living the life of a shadow in a world that wasn't hers. Until Bo had appeared on the scene, saving her in every way possible. She took the necklace, her hand shaking, and held it over the barrel.

"Do it," Bo encouraged her, wrapping her arms around the doctor's waist from behind. "Nobody owns you."

A feeling of warmth spread from Lauren's chest at the succubus' words, remembering their first time. She let go of the _dog collar_, both women watching it fall into the fire before the doctor turned around in Bo's arms to kiss her lovingly. It was over; Lauren was indeed free now.

"I've got another surprise for you," Bo panted once they parted. "And I really hope you don't get it wrong."

Taking a deep breath, the succubus reached into her other jacket pocket to pull out a white box this time. She hesitantly held it out to Lauren, who took it, thanking Bo softly. The doctor gasped when she opened the box and saw a beautiful silver necklace with a simple, yet elegent pendant lying on a wine-red velvet cushion. "Oh my God, Bo. It's-"

"Listen," Bo said quickly, "you don't have to wear it. It's not meant as a sign of you being my property. Please consider it to be a symbol of love and freedom. Don't be angry at me. I me-"

Lauren silenced her with a passionate kiss, the succubus moaning into her mouth with pleasure and relief. "Bo," Lauren rasped, fighting the lump in her throat, "that is the most beautiful gift someone ever gave to me. I'll wear your necklace for the rest of my life. With pride, not with shame like I wore Lachlan's."

"I love you, Lauren," Bo whispered, beaming with joy. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Lauren replied and asked the succubus to help her put on the necklace. Bo obliged eagerly. Afterwards, Lauren cupped the succubus' cheeks in her hands. "You're right, nobody owns _me_, Bo. But you know what? You own my heart, my soul and my body, and I couldn't be happier about it."

Her eyes watering, Bo pulled Lauren as close as physically possible before she captured the doctor's lips with her own. "Move into the clubhouse, Lauren."

"Are you sure?" The doctor was deeply stirred. Besides, since the incident with Nadia a few days ago, she didn't want to return into her house anyway. "Would Kenzi be okay with it?"

"Totally!" they heard the girl's voice suddenly. Looking into the direction it had come from, they spotted Kenzi through the boards across one of the windows. "Humans of the world, unite!"

Lauren just couldn't believe it. Kenzi had hated her guts not long ago, and now, the girl considered them to be friends. She joked around with the doctor like she did with Bo, and looked after her as well. Lauren had been amazed when Bo had revealed to her that Kenzi had gone wild after she had told her about what Nadia had done.

"Don't you have hookers to take care of?" Bo laughed before she turned her attention back to Lauren. "Move in with us."

"Okay," Lauren answered, kissing the succubus sensually then.

"Get a room, guys! Holy Toledo! What the hell is your hand doing there, Bo?"


End file.
